


Because of You

by yourstrulyhn



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Sports, Angst, F/M, Fanfiction, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Other, Runners, Seventeen - Freeform, Strangers to Lovers, Track and Field
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:47:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29084865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourstrulyhn/pseuds/yourstrulyhn
Summary: "Everything that happened was because of you."
Relationships: Kim Mingyu/Reader
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

“Oi. Finish your breakfast already. We’re going to be late if you don’t hurry up.” You pointed your spoon at your sister, Mina. It was the first day of college for the both of you and she was taking her time eating her food. At this rate, you were going to miss all your classes because of her.

You gave her a warning look when she let out a whine. Her head fell onto her arm on the table as she pouted at you.

“It’s not my fault I’m so tired! Training with you every day takes a lot out of me and now, I have to wake up so early for classes! Ah, why can’t I just have a day off yet?” She grumbled, stuffing her food into her mouth.

“Mina, you were the one who chose to have classes this early. What are you complaining about?”

The both of you stared at each other.

“Oh, yeah! I forgot!” She giggled and sat up. Sometimes you questioned how she got into the university when she used to sleep through all her classes in high school.

You rolled your eyes and took a bite of your eggs. Seeing you eat with such a serious look on your face, an idea hit Mina. She cleared her throat and adjusted her seating. She glanced at you, then finally began to eat. You ignored her.

Then suddenly, the sound of a spoon scraping against a plate rang in your ears. You looked up at Mina with your mouth open. She had stuffed all her food into her mouth at a chaotic speed. Letting out a satisfied groan, she leaned back against her chair as the plate and spoon fell to the table.

“Done! Now you hurry up, Y/N!” She exclaimed, then gulped down the rest of her juice.

Your eye twitched in annoyance when she stood up to put her dishes in the sink. The taunting tune she hummed on her way to her room sounded throughout the house. As it got further and further away, the more irritated you felt. That girl. After you had rushed her all morning, she gave you a taste of your own medicine by turning it onto you.

When Mina came back downstairs, she got a long and stern scolding before the two of you left the house. Your sister was overjoyed for the first day of classes since she was now an adult who could make bad decisions on her own. Meanwhile, you were already completely over it. It was your third year and you just wanted to graduate.

Grumbling under your breath, you walked behind Mina who had a skip in her steps. You rolled your eyes. So much for being tired.

After making it onto campus with your overexcited sister, you noticed a crowd of people at the front gate.

“What is all this?” You asked, stunned.

“You don’t know? Wah! It’s as if I’m the one who's been in college instead of you!” Mina huffed and crossed her arms. You raised an eyebrow. She sighed, then explained it to you. “I heard the first day is when people promote their clubs to get new members. Did you really not notice all these years?”

You shook your head. Every year, you would focus on getting to class on time rather than notice that they did this.

“Geez, I question how much you really paid attention to this university over the past three years,” She sighed and shook her head.

You shrugged. “I don’t have time to focus on things like that.”

You walked ahead with Mina rushing to catch up to you. Letting out a huff, she wrapped her arms around your arm. Then, she looked up at you with a smile you knew all too well. You tried to push her off, but she held even tighter. So, you gave in.

“So, Y/N.”

“Mm?” You barely paid any attention to her as you maneuvered the both of you through the crowd. Are people not aware of how crowded it was? Why make it worse by gathering together?

“What club are you thinking of joining this year?” She asked despite knowing what you were going to say.

“Cooking,” You joked. and a small chuckle left your throat.

“That’s not funny!” She whined, then let out a giggle. “Come on, Y/N. It’s a new school year and your beloved sister is joining in on the college life. You should consider one.”

“I see no point in joining a club when they don’t influence my grades. Why waste time and effort when I need to focus on my studies?” You waved your hand to drop the subject, which made her pout. You raised an eyebrow and glanced at her when she didn’t answer you. Her cheeks puffed out as she clung onto your arm. Was it really that important to her that you joined a club? “What now?”

“You told me you would change this year!”

“Yeah, well.”

“Hmph!”

You wanted to change the subject before she lectured you about the importance of being involved in college life.

“Shouldn’t we be looking for the track and field team?” You asked, sighing. When you said that, she instantly brightened, and her eyes sparkled.

“Oh! Are you thinking of joining-”

“For you.” You cut her short, frowning at her. It was her warning.

She waved her hand. “I already got an invite to join the team a while ago, so there’s no need to sign up. I just have to show up at practice later.”

“I see,” You mumbled, then scoffed. You realized what had happened. “Ah, he probably had something to do with the invite.”

Mina ignored what you said and tightened her arms around yours. “You’ll come watch my practices, right?”

“Huh? Why do I have to?”

“Because you have to see me show the whole team what your hellish training has done for me!”

You frowned, then flicked her forehead. “Oi. Don’t go showing off like that.”

“Please, Y/N!”

You let out a sigh and waved your hand. “Fine.”

Finally satisfied with your answer, Mina cheered. She hugged your side and smiled at you.

“This just gave me more motivation to do my absolute best at practice.” Mina beamed before mumbling to herself. “Oh! Now, I’m all pumped up for practice. I can’t wait to join everyone later! I hope everyone’s nice!”

A small smile appeared on your face as you fondly watched your sister ramble about how excited she was. You patted her head, catching her attention. You ruffled her hair as she stared at you in awe and wonder.

“You’ll do great, Mina. Don’t worry.”

Her eyes sparkled at your words. She peeked out from underneath your hand, only to see a faraway look on your face as your eyes met. She softly smiled and nodded.

“Mm!"

**

“Another year together. Me, Minghao and Mingyu. How great is that?” Seokmin exclaimed while his two friends stared blankly at him. When they didn’t give him the response he was looking for, his smile turned into a sad pout. Minghao and Mingyu exchanged looks, then laughed at his pouting. Seokmin gasped, offended. He scolded them for being mean.

“Yes, yes. Another exciting year with the two of you,” Mingyu chuckled and ruffled Seokmin’s hair as an apology to which he accepted.

“So, since it’s a new year like Seokmin said, which clubs are you thinking of joining?” Minghao changed the subject.

“Mm, probably singing club,” Seokmin answered. “You?”

“Dancing club sounded pretty interesting, so I may go check it out.” Minghao shrugged.

Seokmin and Minghao looked at Mingyu who sheepishly laughed. Scratching the back of his neck, he softly smiled as if embarrassed.

“I was thinking of joining the track and field team.”

The two boys’ eyes widened.

“But Mingyu, what about-” Seokmin paused to glance at Minghao for help. “You know.”

“Yeah, are you sure about this? Have you really thought this through, Mingyu?” Minghao tried to argue, knowing the consequences of this. He meant well, but he just wanted to make sure his friend knew what he was getting himself into. 

Mingyu stopped him. He raised his hand to prevent his friend from saying anything more. He lifted his head to face them, finding worry in their eyes. It made his chest warm to see how much they cared for him. He couldn’t ask for better friends.

He smiled and patted their backs. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I’ll worry about it when the time comes.”

“Well. We know that once you’ve made up your mind, you’re set on it.” Minghao let out a sigh, shaking his head and crossing his arms. Then, he looked at Mingyu and smiled. “But that’s not such a bad quality of yours.”

"We’ll be cheering you on, so do well, Mingyu!” Seokmin cheered, giving Mingyu more assurance about his decision.

“Yeah, I will.” Mingyu nodded.

“Well, since we’ve all decided on your clubs, let’s go find the booths. I say, we find the track and field booth first,” Minghao said, looking around for the booth. This caught Mingyu’s attention as his head snapped up at him.

“H-Huh? We’re going to sign up right now?”   


“Why not? Minghao and I already signed up for ours. Now, it’s just you who has to do it.” Seokmin clapped his hands onto Mingyu’s shoulder.

“Hey, wait! I thought we were going to sign up for clubs together!” Mingyu tried to change the subject, but it didn’t work.

“That was in the past, Mingyu. We’re living in the present now.” Minghao waved his hand. Mingyu frowned.

“Oi!” He felt betrayed. They had agreed to meet up early and sign up for clubs together. Only for him to find out that the two of them did it without him. They had tricked him into believing their promise held the truth. So much for friendship.

“Why aren’t you moving? Let’s go,” Seokmin ushered.

Mingyu had to divert the matter at hand. “Well, I was thinking of signing up later. I uh actually wanted to walk around for a bit before going over there because of uh um my stomach. Yeah! My stomach! I need to digest before I make an important decision like that. So, let’s do it later.”

As he nervously laughed, his friends rolled their eyes.

“Are you sure you’re serious about joining the team? If not-” Seokmin raised an eyebrow.

“No! I am, I am! I’m just.” Mingyu pouted, his voice trailing off.

He was still hesitating despite choosing to join the team. Minghao had a plan. In a swift motion, he grabbed onto Mingyu’s backpack and Seokmin’s sleeve. Letting out a chuckle, he pulled the two of them along as he ran off. He wasn’t sure where he needed to go, but he was sure he was going to make it somehow.

“Oi, Minghao! What are you doing?” Mingyu exclaimed, reaching around to get his hands off. He was unable to with this angle.

“Consider this as a gift from your best friends. You can thank us later!” Minghao laughed, dragging the two of them through the crowd.

“We’re so helpful, Minghao,” Seokmin exclaimed, making him and Minghao snicker. They looked over their shoulders to see a grumpy Mingyu and couldn’t help but tease him. They stuck their tongues out at him. 

His frown deepened as he slapped away Minghao’s hand. The two of them exchanged looks, eyes widening out of fear. They were in trouble now. They instantly picked up their pace, yelling their apologies to people they bumped into.

“You better run faster!” He exclaimed. As they whined and cried for mercy, Mingyu continued after them.

It was at that moment that he just so happened to pass a familiar pair of siblings. You and Mingyu passed each other without knowing how much the two of you would clash in the future.

From there, your fate was already set in motion.


	2. Chapter 2

“Y/N’s supposed to be here, but where?” Mina fretted, looking around in hopes of finding you through the crowd. But the overwhelming number of people got to her and it was hard to find anyone even if you were there.

The longer she looked, the more disheartened she felt. You said you’d be here to watch her practice, yet she didn’t see you anywhere. Did you not come after all?

Everyone’s attention turned to the girl as she stepped onto the track grounds. In awe of her presence, they whispered amongst themselves in excitement. They pushed each other, wanting to talk to her but were too nervous to approach.

After some time, she came to realize you had in fact skipped out on her first day of practice. Her lips fell into a pout as a cloud of sadness hovered over her. She couldn’t blame you for not coming, but it did hurt her. Onlookers let out gasps. Who did what to hurt their precious Mina like that?

Wanting to cheer her up, they hurried in sending someone over to comfort her. But they still struggled with her intimidation and were too shy to do so.

“How about you go comfort her first, then I’ll come after?” Someone pushed their friend towards her, only for that person to turn it back onto them. This caused the two of them to bump into other people and others got involved.

“No, you go do it!”

“It doesn’t matter who, just hurry! She looks so sad!”

When Mina’s pout deepened as she thought about how you abandoned her, everyone rushed over without a second thought. She didn’t realize she had an audience, so she was caught off guard by the crowd. She nearly toppled over because of the force. As they gushed about her and her skills on the track, she couldn’t help but blush. She giggled, thanking them for their kind words.

“I can’t believe I got to meet a well-known sprinter like yourself, miss Mina!”

“A-Ah, I wouldn’t go that far,” She bashfully replied and waved her hands. Despite hearing praise all the time, she still wasn’t used to the attention.

With more people joining in and shoving to get to her, it was difficult for her to even move an inch. She tried to calm them down, but it was no use. The swarm of people prevented her from doing anything. It was getting too much.

Going on her toes, she scanned for a safe area. There weren’t many places she could go until she spotted someone in the corner of her eye. Luckily, that person was alone and away from everyone else. That was her best bet for an escape. She gasped and squeezed her eyes shut before ducking down into the crowd. Maneuvering her way through their legs, she was able to make it to her savior. Whoever they turned out to be, she had to thank them no matter what for being alone in this moment.

Mingyu let out a sigh as he eyed the crowd of people. Shaking his head, he turned the other way to overlook the vast track where he was going to be training for the season. 

The familiar sight caused excitement to flow through his veins, but his nerves crept up from behind. The haunting thoughts were there, hiding deep within him. He took a deep breath, feeling the wind blow through his hair. This was going to be an interesting time.

Immersed in the feeling, a tap on the shoulder brought him out of his thoughts. He glanced over his shoulder to find a girl smiling up at him. He raised an eyebrow. Did he know her? Did they meet and he forgot who she already was?

“Uh, hello?” He said, making her laugh.

“Mind if I join you?”

“Oh, not at all.”

Mina happily sat down, taking the spot next to him. Sneaking a peek at the crowd, she hoped they didn’t bother her now that she was with someone. Thankfully, they left her alone. She let out a sigh of relief, which made Mingyu chuckle. She frowned.

“What? Why are you laughing? She pouted.

“Nothing.” He waved it off and cleared his throat to hide his laughter.

“You know, it’s not nice to laugh at someone you just met.”

“I didn’t mean anything by that. I just found it amusing that you were that eager to get away from your fans. It seems everyone already loves you and yet here you are, denying them of your presence.” He nodded towards the crowd.

Mina huffed, holding her burning cheeks in her hands. “Please don’t say such embarrassing things!”

Mingyu laughed.

“Mind if I know who I’ve gotten the privilege of talking to then?”

“Mina. My name’s Mina.”

“Mingyu. My name’s Mingyu,” He repeated after her with a smug smile on his face. She gasped, hitting him on the arm.

“Now, you’re just teasing me!” She whined as he laughed. Letting out a huff, she crossed her arms and turned away. He felt bad now, so he stopped the teasing and changed the subject.

“So, is this your first year on the team, Mina?”

“Yes. What about you?”

He nodded. “I thought I’d try running again since my workload will be a little tolerable this year.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Oh! You’re not a freshman?”

“No, I’m a junior.” He chuckled. She then let out a gasp. Racking her mind, she thought carefully about what she wanted to say before blurting out something hurtful.

“You know what? Good for you!” Mina nodded, which made Mingyu raise an eyebrow. “It’s great that you decided to run again after a break!”

His eyes widened as he instinctively clenched his hands. Then, he nervously laughed. “Thanks.”

“Well, since we’re both rookies, let’s work hard, Mingyu!” She clapped her hands together. As if they had known each other for a long time, Mina made a promise. And he couldn’t find himself to reject it.

“Mn,” He smiled.

Mingyu and Mina went back and forth, taking turns asking each other questions. They were able to learn a little bit more of each other and even made plans to hang out when they were free. 

It was then when the coach called for everyone to huddle together. People split into their respective groups. The crowd slowly disbursed, and the field started to show itself to him again.

Being back here and the familiar sound of the coaches yelling made Mingyu uneasy. His hands tightly gripped his shorts as he tried to calm himself down. Focusing on his breathing, he took a deep breath and turned to Mina.

“I’ll be going then.”

He waved goodbye to her, then quickly walked over to the short distance runners, assuming nothing of it. While everyone else had someone they knew in their group, he stood out by himself. He didn’t have any friends on the team, so he was alone. Until he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to find Mina pouting with her arms crossed.

“You left me!”

He was too taken back to answer. She was a short distance runner like him too? Why didn’t he know that? Wait, that should’ve been the first question he asked her after they exchanged names. Double wait, he had abandoned her earlier when he panicked and ran off. Oh, no.

He looked around for confirmation and sure enough, he got it. Her fans were beaming from being in the same group with her while the others weren’t pleased to see they weren’t.

“Wow, looks like I’ll be with you for the rest of the year!” Mina giggled, bringing his attention back to her. She stuck her hand out and he shook it while still dazed.

“Looks like it.” He nervously laughed as she grinned. Just what exactly is going on and what did he get himself into?

While the coach did introductions and gave a rundown on how practice was going to work, Mingyu snuck a glance at Mina. He was surprised. He didn’t think he’d make a friend so quickly, especially one like her who seemed very well known. Famous, even. Yet, she went up to him and started a conversation as if they had known enough for so many years. Truthfully, it made him happy that she did that. It was a small gesture, but now, he had gained a little more confidence because of her. 

Suddenly, the coach’s yelling brought him out of his thoughts. He looked around for answers, to see what they had to do. His eyes then went down to Mina who was staring up at him in amusement. She pointed forward to the coach.

“All right, everyone! Grab a partner and let’s do some warmups!” He clapped his hands together, then walked off to their designated section of the track.

Everyone went into a frenzy as they hurried to find someone they knew. Then, as if they remembered at the same time, their attention shifted to Mina.

Oblivious of their intense stares, she blinked. She then turned to Mingyu and tilted her head to the side as she offered him her hand.

“Mingyu, would you like to be my partner?” She asked with everyone’s eyes on the two of them. They were pressuring him into saying no.

He didn’t spare them a glance as he accepted her request. Whispering and glares were sent his way, but he didn’t pay them any attention.

“Let’s go over there.” Mingyu pointed to a spot that was far away enough to escape the crowd. “After all, I can’t share the most valuable training secrets from the best runner on the team.”

“Hmph! Who says I’d tell you!”

“But we’re partners, aren’t we? Shouldn’t partners tell each other things?”

“Don’t make it weird! You’re only my partner in running! N-Not that kind of partner!” She huffed, holding her burning cheeks. He chuckled and ruffled her hair as they walked over to their spot. 

Seeing the way he talked to her and how he had the audacity to touch her infuriated them. How could he do such things so easily? To add on, he had even accepted her request to be her partner. Of course, they had complaints. The kid didn’t even realize how lucky he was.

“Mingyu.”

“Mm?” He hummed while stretching out his legs. While in a bent-over position, he lifted his head to look at her.

“Even though you’ve teased me the whole time we’ve known each other, I think you’re pretty cool.”

He chuckled. “Thank you?”

“So, since we’re friends now, let’s always train together. Okay?” 

They were partners at one moment, then friends the next. How did she jump around from one thing to another so quick? Regardless, Mina was something else and Mingyu didn’t mind it. Smiling at her, He nodded.

“Sure.”

Maybe this year will bring something good after all.


End file.
